Good morning! It’s shaping up to be a gorgeous day here on the Oregon coast.
Once again, I’ve been neglecting this blog, but I had a good excuse. I
received the proof copy of my novel “Alternatives” in January and I’ve
spent the months since then painstakingly working my way through edits
and revisions. I’ve also been corresponding with my beta-readers to
apply their recommended changes to the manuscript.
The good news is that I’m almost ready to release the final
edition of the novel into the world. Phew! I’ve been working on this
project consistently for nearly two years, so getting so close to the
finish line feels like a huge accomplishment.
They always advise writers to “write the story that you want to
read”— and that’s exactly what I did. As one of my beta readers told me,
this “book is so you”! The novel is soft sci-fi (science fiction
without a lot of hard science or “techno-babble”). There’s also a strong
romantic story line. Being a “me” book there are quirky characters and
lots of pets. I also intentionally incorporated several references to
the Oregon coast, sci-fi TV shows and movies, and pop culture. And an
acoustic guitar makes a cameo! It’s basically a mash-up of most of my
favorite things
Brand new proof copy...
Just a few changes...
Proof copy several months and many edits later...
Now that I’m getting close to the finish line, I’ve created a list of
people that would like to pre-order a copy. This will also help me
figure out how many copies to order from my publisher. Please message me
if you’re interested in purchasing a copy. (Details: paperback, 400
pages; signed by the author; $15 per copy plus shipping).
Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the support!
~ H. S. Contino
PS– Due to the pandemic, I’ll be mailing out the signed copies of my
book. I’ll have them available for sale through my Etsy shop, Reprieve’s
Corner. Eventually, I’ll be returning to selling books in person at
local craft fairs, farmers markets, and book fairs. I’ll also be lining
up some book talks– eventually. But, for now, the case numbers in this
area are still to high for me to feel safe hosting an indoor event.
Just a quick post today. I just read a quote on another blog that
struck a chord with me, so I decided to share. It comes from the blog
“The Alchemist’s Studio” (https://rakupottery.ca/2021/03/09/transitions-4/):
“Transitions are a part of life, allowing for perpetual renewal.
When you experience the end of one chapter, allow yourself to feel the
emotions of loss and rebirth.
A bud gives way to a new flower,
which surrenders to the fruit, which gives rise to a seed, which yields a
new sprout. Even as you ride the roller coaster, embrace the centered
internal reference of the ever-present witness.”
-David Simon
I LOVE this! The past year and a half has been incredibly rough for
so many of us. I think that it helps to keep things in perspective. This
quote reminds us that life is a series of transitions or phases. As
much as we’d like for things to always go smoothly, we’re bound to
encounter rough patches.
Now that there are several coronavirus vaccinations available and
countries are working hard to get them distributed to their citizens, we
find ourselves in another transition period. We’re not out of the
pandemic woods yet, but we’re inching our way closer to the day when our
lives can start returning to “normal”.
So, hang in there everyone!
~ H. S. Contino
PS– Please, check out the original blog. The Alchemist’s Studio
specializes in raku pottery. They often name their pieces off of
characters from mythology and then share the stories (and photos of
their pottery) on their blog. It’s fun reading about the antics of the
ancient gods while viewing their latest creations. The blog can be found
here: https://rakupottery.ca/.
Well, it's official! My latest novel, "Alternatives" is available as both a print book and a Kindle e-book through Amazon. As I discussed in previous posts, I decided to release a "Beta Reader" edition in order to receive some reader feedback before I make the final edits to the manuscript.
In the meantime, I've moved on to another writing project. I went through an incredibly creative period during late 2019. I wrote the rough drafts to what became "Alternatives" and another novel that I'm tentatively calling "This Forgotten Life" back to back over a 2 1/2 month period. (although, I had been "percolating" on the story lines for several months prior to sitting down and putting words to paper).
I printed out the second manuscript and began editing it the day after I submitted the "Alternatives" manuscript to Amazon. I've been cringing a lot as I re-read my very rough draft, but the story has potential. It took me a year and a half of continual editing and polishing to get "Alternatives" to the point where I was ready to share it with readers. I suspect it's going to take a while to do the same to "This Forgotten Life"-- although this manuscript is about 100 pages shorter which should speed up the process.
Without further ado, "Alternatives" is available at the following links:
Amazon also allows people to read a sample before purchasing a book. Simply click on the "Look Inside" link. I checked it out and it allows you to read the entire prologue and a good chunk of the first chapter.
And to (hopefully) tempt you to read the book:
According to theory, there are countless versions of reality running in
parallel with each other. What if you were given a glimpse into your
alternative lives? What version of yourself would you see? How would it
effect your future decisions?
Francis Marino's quiet life on the
Oregon coast was interrupted when two military officers showed up on her
doorstep with a bizarre story and urged her to come with them.
Curious-- and figuring that she had nothing to lose-- she agreed. Thus
began an unexpected adventure that forced her to leave her comfort zone
and confront many of her beliefs about the world we live in.
As
the commander of a highly classified military facility, Colonel Dominic
Davis was dedicated to his job. But, after being exposed to an alien
device, he is given visions of two alternative realities. Dom realizes
that he needs to make changes-- both personal and professional.
Life on Earth hangs in the balance...
Happy reading!
~ H. S. Contino
PS-- I made some tweaks to the cover of the print edition since my last post. I intentionally used a different color font on the cover of the e-book in order to make it easier to tell them apart.
the e-book version of "Alternatives" is live! $4.99 for the Kindle version, but it looks like Amazon will let you can read it for free if you have a "Kindle Unlimited" account.
Feel free to check it out! As I said in my earlier post, this is the Beta Reader edition, so I will be making additional changes after I've recieved some reader feedback.
After a year and a half of hard labor, my book baby is nearly ready to greet the world! (The Beta Reader edition)
I “burned the midnight oil” last night. I completed the final edits
to the manuscript and uploaded it to Amazon and Kindle around 2 am.
It’ll take them up to 72 hours to review the e-book version and a little
longer for the print addition. During the review process, they’ll be
making sure that the manuscript and cover formatting meet their
publishing guidelines. The main thing is to make sure that none of text
will be cut off at the edge of the page during the printing and binding
process.
Since I created this novel on a shoestring budget (and I’m
self-publishing it), I couldn’t afford to hire publishing help. As a
result, I wore many hats: writer, editor, cover designer, manuscript
designer, and eventually book promoter.
Editing your own work is incredibly challenging! Part of the problem
is that you’re too close to the work. It’s hard to see the holes in your
own story. It can be difficult to spot your own typos and other
mistakes. For instance, I’m bad about reversing the order of letters
when I’m typing. Spell check will help find some of these mistakes, but
if the letters still form a real word they get missed (for example: form
and from). The novel has gone through more than a dozen revisions over
the past year and a half. Yet, during every read through, I find at
least 1 mistake that I missed.
Realizing that I could use some help, I decided to release a Beta
Reader edition of the novel. I included a letter in front of the novel
encouraging readers to contact me with their comments (or if they spot
any missed mistakes!). My current plan is to release the Beta Reader
edition into the world while I work on the rough draft of another novel
then return to it once I’ve received some reader feedback.
My regular blog followers may have noticed in the above photograph
that I changed the title of the book. During all but the last two
drafts, I had been called it “Timelines.” I liked that title and how
smoothly in rolled off the tongue. It also looked awesome on the cover
of the book– simple and concise. But… the title didn’t really fit the
contents of the book.
The word “timelines” implies time travel while my story involves
alternative realities/parallel worlds. The problem was that when I
decided to change the title, my first 15 or so choices were already
taken. I made the mistake before of using a too generic book title. As a
result, my book was lost in a sea of others with similar titles and
subject matters.
Some of the titles that I considered that were already in use:
Parallel Lives, Alternative Lives, Parallel Worlds, Parallels (one of my
favorites!), title variations using “Multiverse” including “Glimpsing
the Multiverse”…
I finally settled on “Alternatives” since it implies choices. There
are other published books that include the word but not as a stand alone
title. I also liked that it was a single word title. For some reason, a
simple title seemed right for this particular project.
My little blue marble…
I also went through many different computer generated book covers
before settling on one. You’ve all probably heard the famous quote from
Carl Sagan about the Earth being our little blue marble. Years ago, I
purchased a blue marble with the continents painted on it. (Side note: I
have to hide it in a jewelry box to keep my cats from stealing it!) I
decided to photograph the marble and work it into the cover design. I
also played with the lens effects in Adobe Photograph in my attempt to
create a very sci-fi looking cover. I’m not completely satisfied with it
though, so I may make additional changes. What I do like is that the
current cover art hints at the contents of the book. There are two
Earths travel parallel with each other through space.
Anyway… I’m seriously sleep deprived, so please forgive me if I
rambled on in this blog post. I was just so excited to share this update
with my readers and writing friends. I’ll update the bog again once the
novel is available on Amazon and include the links where you can
purchase it. The Beta Reader edition of the e-book is only $3.99.
Technically, the print edition will be available as well, but I would
recommend waiting to purchase the print version until after I’ve made
the final edits. I can guarantee that there will be more changes made to
the manuscript once I’ve received some feedback!
Oh, a little teaser from the back cover of the book:
According to theory, there are countless versions of reality
running in parallel with each other. What if you were given a glimpse
into your alternative lives? What version of yourself would you see? How
would it effect your future decisions?
Francis Marino’s quiet life on the Oregon coast was interrupted
when two military officers showed up on her doorstep with a bizarre
story and urged her to come with them. Curious– and figuring that she
had nothing to lose– she agreed. Thus began an unexpected adventure that
forced her to leave her comfort zone and confront many of her beliefs
about the world we live in.
As the commander of a highly classified military facility,
Colonel Dominic Davis was dedicated to his job. But, after being exposed
to an alien device, he is given visions of two alternative realities.
Dom realizes that he needs to make changes– both personal and
professional.
Life on Earth hangs in the balance…
Stay tuned! And, as always, thank you for subscribing to my blog. I really appreciate the support!
Good morning and welcome to my blog. Thanks for stopping by!
Okay, let’s face it: 2020 has been a major challenge for all of us.
Between the world-wide pandemic, job losses, natural disasters, and
nose-diving economies around the world, it’s been rough.
On a personal level, I was furloughed from my day job in March then
officially let go in July. In late September, I applied for and was
offered a new position which I started in mid-October. Things finally seemed
to be looking up; then I overheard part of a phone call between my new
boss and a co-worker– who had the call on speaker phone– about things
“not working out” with me. After only a month on the job, they let me
go– while I was home sick and the day before Veteran’s Day. (How’s that
for honoring veterans? Letting the only veteran on staff go the day
before the holiday intended to honor them).
I’m not the only one that has been struggling. I have many friends
who also lost their jobs due to the coronavirus (either during the
shutdown in March or later when businesses re-opened with limited
capacity). I have other friends who have been battling major illnesses
and disease. One friend’s husband had a major stroke this suffer, but he
survived. Another friend’s husband had a major heart attack, but he
didn’t make it. Fortunately, he lived long enough for his family to come
to the hospital to say goodbye.
So, like I said, it’s been a rough year!
In an attempt to simultaneously increase the sales in my online Etsy
shop and make the holidays more affordable for the many people out there
that are struggling financially this holiday season, I decided to run
two big sales:
Starting today, ALL of my handmade crafts and crafting supplies are 50% off of their regular prices. And, all of my autographed books are 25% off (personalized messages available).
I’m calling it my 2020 Blow… out sale (since this year seriously blows)!
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I
appreciate the support– especially during such trying times. I read
somewhere that 2020 was the year that “people came together while
staying apart.” While we all practice “social distancing” to slow the
spread of the coronavirus, we have the opportunity to come together
virtually through social media, blogs, and other online activities.
Wishing everyone health and happiness during this unusual holiday season. Fingers crossed that 2021 is better– for everyone!
Just a quick post today. I've been enjoying watching the trees in my neighborhood begin to change colors. Using this as an inspiration, I decided to have a fall sale in my Etsy shop, Reprieve's Corner. Starting today, you can save 40% off of the original price store-wide (excludes clearance items which are already marked down 50%). The sale ends Oct. 4th, 2020.
The sale includes signed copies of my books-- which make great holiday gifts! I'm also more than happy to include a personalized message (just leave me a note when checking out).
